A Texas city manager was fired from her position after she was caught filming “pole dancing” while on a business trip.
Kimberly Judge, 59, was fired from her role in Dayton’s top office after a video clip of the city official dancing around a light pole during a business trip emerged on social media.
The one-second clip was shot in Dallas, where Judge, the first woman and Black person to serve as the city’s CEO, was traveling to the Texas Municipal League Conference as a representative of the city of Dayton.
She was immediately placed on leave after the “inappropriate” video surfaced in late September, but was ultimately fired months later after the City Council voted 4-1 to terminate her employment in November.
However, controversy soon arose over her unprofessional behavior as councilors were divided over the best way to discipline the officer.
Those who opposed Judge’s actions called her behavior inappropriate, while those who defended her stated that her actions were not as outrageous as others claimed.
But after the clip came to light, Judge claimed it was part of “a low-level smear campaign,” as she had filed a racial and sex-based discrimination complaint against city leaders in the week prior to her “disobedient behavior” – which was not the case. later investigated by an independent company.
The third-party company found no evidence to support its allegations.
Dayton City Manager Kimberly Judge, 59, was fired after a video clip of the city employee dancing around a light pole during a business trip emerged on social media.
The 59-year-old was immediately placed on leave after the “inappropriate” video surfaced in September, but was ultimately fired months later after the City Council voted 4-1 to terminate her employment in November. Pictured: City Hall in Dayton, Texas
As for the investigation into the “pole dancing” clip, other outside investigators determined that Judge had in fact violated the city’s policy.
But a public relations firm representing the now-former Dayton official stated that her client was merely “dancing and enjoying himself with a group of close friends.”
Several locals present at the Nov. 18 meeting spoke out in support of Judge, claiming the 59-year-old official could be the victim of a larger scheme to oust her.
“We’re here because of the video and there’s nothing to tell you where it was shot,” said Sherial Alwson, a Dayton resident and former city council member.
The council’s vote to terminate Judge’s employment resulted in the appointment of Derek Woods (pictured), the city’s police chief and assistant city manager
“If there was a problem, why wasn’t it shared? I think there are people who have run for council and want to fire Kimberly. Are her achievements being questioned? The people of Dayton are here to support our city manager.”
Others expressed opposition to her behavior, claiming a “hard line” against Judge’s unprofessional behavior.
“Leaders don’t do things like that,” Councilman Adam Spear said at the November meeting.
“The main issue I had was … it was a city-paid trip,” Spear said in an earlier session in which Judge was placed on leave.
“Leaders don’t take taxpayer money and then act like fools while you represent the city.”
The council’s vote to terminate Judge’s employment resulted in the appointment of Derek Woods, the city’s police chief and assistant city manager.
Woods will fill this role temporarily until a permanent replacement is hired.
Before her unexpected resignation, Judge had a total of 38 years of municipal government experience in multiple Texas cities.
She spent eight years in various positions within the city of 10,000 residents, serving as planning director, assistant city manager and interim public works director before being promoted to city manager in January 2023.
After the overwhelming vote, Judge announced plans to take legal action against the city, citing breach of contract.